Investigators continued searching Saturday for a man who intentionally set fire to a Raising Cane's restaurant in Algiers on Friday night. There were no customers in the fried-chicken shop at the time, and all six employees escaped the two-alarm fire safely, according to a New Orleans Fire Department news release.

A man wearing a hooded sweatshirt and carrying a plastic one-gallon container of clear liquid entered the Raising Cane's at 4009 Behrman Highway shortly before 9:50 p.m., investigators said. He walked over to a center booth, emptied the liquid, then set the area ablaze with a cigarette lighter, according to the release.

As the shop went up in flames, the man ran away, investigators said. The fire is being investigated as a case of aggravated arson.

Two employees escaped from the drive-through window area and three ran from the kitchen. A sixth employee, who had been in the dining room at the time and also got out safely, told investigators the arsonist's face was covered by his hood.

Forty-eight firefighters in 21 NOFD units worked to bring the fire under control by 10:45 p.m., according to the release. A smoky odor still hung in the air and the restaurant remained closed on Saturday.

The case is being investigated jointly by the NOFD, the New Orleans Police Department and the federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives. Anyone with information is asked to call Crimestoppers at 504.822.1111.